When and where will “world champions” Boston Celtics celebrate NBA title number 18?

The Celtics are once again NBA champions. The team, with the most titles in NBA history, needed to update its legacy, as it hadn’t won since 2008, and the title before that dated back to 1986. With the championship ring, a familiar debate resurfaces: the NBA and its franchises continue to refer to the league’s winner as the “world champion.”

But that doesn’t bother Boston Mayor Michelle Wu who announced on Tuesday morning that the celebration parade will begin at 11:00 a.m. ET on Friday 21 June, right in front of TD Garden, It will then make its way through the city before coming to an end at the Hynes Convention Center.

Are the Celtics really World Champions?

Back to the self-determined title of “World Champions”. Obviously, this term is not entirely accurate. That much is clear. It’s also evident that the best team in the NBA is arguably the best team in the world, and it would be highly unusual for them not to prevail against any FIBA competition opponent in a peak season match (not during summer promotional tours). However, such a match-up remains purely speculative.

Although there is an Intercontinental Cup, it operates under a different format that does not include the NBA or EuroLeague champions. So, the debate continues. What is clear is that the NBA champion is just that, the champion of the NBA – which is no small feat – but not the world champion.

The Celtics have once again used the “world champion” label to celebrate their 2024 title, prompting responses from the EuroLeague’s official account, which suggested they should face Ergin Ataman’s Panathinaikos (Ataman recently discussed his views on the NBA and his coaching prospects there in an interview with AS). Additionally, FIBA’s official 2023 World Cup account responded by highlighting Germany as the true world champions, a title they earned last year. It’s worth noting that the United States hasn’t won the FIBA World Cup since 2014, with Spain clinching the title in 2019.

In the United States, there was already a stir when the Nuggets won last year. Athlete Noah Lyles, a triple champion at the World Championships in Budapest (100 meters, 200 meters, and 4x100 relay), remarked that it was time to retire the expression “world champion”: “I watch the NBA Finals and see them call the winner the world champion… World champion of what? Don’t get me wrong, I love the U.S., but we are not the world.”

What might seem like an obvious point quickly sparked reactions from notable NBA players. Kevin Durant took to social media saying, “Somebody help this brother.” Damian Lillard simply wrote “TF” (short for “[what] the fuck”), expressing his disbelief, while Tyler Herro reiterated the NBA’s prevailing logic: “This is the best league in the world, so the winner is the world champion.”

But does that mean that Manchester City don’t have to play in any wider tournament to prove they are the best given that they dominate the strongest soccer league in the world? Of course not. You have to prove it... and the ‘best’ team doesn’t always win those knockout competitions.